Archive for August, 2018

Eve Belle, the Siren of Sad Bops, picks up the pace with the release of her new single on Rubyworks. Featuring fast-rising Kildare hip-hop duo Tebi Rex, ‘First Impressions’ is, according to Eve, “inspired by the lads you meet in the smoking area at The Workman’s Club in Dublin”.

Fresh from winning new fans at the inaugural We’ve Only Just Begun festival, Eve is getting ready for a trio of high-profile support spots at Hozier’s live rehearsal shows at The Academy in Dublin.

Having already enjoyed good press support from Wolf In A Suit, The Line Of Best Fit and The Irish Daily Mirror, and airplay spins from RTE Radio 1, 98FM and 8 Radio; ‘First Impressions’ looks set to introduce Eve Belle to a whole new audience.

Last year, the 4 members of The Cranberries – Dolores O’Riordan, Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan and Fergal Lawler – came together to plan a 25th Anniversary Box Set release of their debut album, and one of the definitive indie albums of all time, ‘Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?’ Following her untimely death in January this year, the remaining band members have decided to go ahead with the 25th Anniversary Box Set, which is released on 19th October on UMG. Originally released on 12th March 1993, the album hit the No.1 spot in both the UK and Ireland and sold over 6 million copies worldwide. At the time Dolores remarked that the universal appeal of the Cranberries’ songs was based on her: “Own life and experiences as a human being, how human beings treat each other.”

Rewind to the summer of 1985, when a lifelong friendship was blossoming between three boys – Fergal (14), Noel (13) and his younger brother Mike (12) – over a shared interest in breakdancing. Fergal would travel the short distance from Parteen, County Clare to Moyross, Limerick where Noel and Mike lived so they could practice their dance moves. Their enthusiasm for the dance movement gradually faded and after a while they began to listen to mainstream electro-pop artists like Nik Kershaw and Michael Jackson, and like many other teenagers before them, began to pay more attention to what was being played on the radio.

Noel recalls that it was hearing the Cure’s ‘Staring At The Sea’ singles compilation that changed everything in his musical world. He shared his new found passion for the Cure with Mike and Fergal and this led them to discover other bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees, Echo and the Bunnymen, the Clash, New Order and Joy Division. Looking back on this musical journey, Noel stresses that: “All these roads led to The Smiths, who became very big in our lives later on.”

As well as becoming more conscious of the wider world of indie, Noel, Mike and Fergal were also becoming more aware of a growing Irish and Limerick music scene. A friend of Fergals was a DJ on one of the city’s pirate radio stations and began to lend him recordings of Irish and local bands. Free from the rules and regulations of state controlled broadcasting, pirate radio stations in 1980s Ireland allowed for never-heard-of indie bands to be played on air. Aside from the global success of U2 and Sinead O’Connor, the group’s ears were also opened to the existence of local bands such as Private World, They Do It With Mirrors, Up The Downstairs, the Hitchers and A Touch of Oliver. This presented the possibility of actually playing music in a band. In doing so, they would be following in the footsteps of many other hopeful would-be musicians in post industrial cities such as Manchester, Liverpool or Birmingham, where in a world of spiralling youth unemployment, playing music and being creative promised infinite possibilities.

In August 1989 the fledgling group met Niall Quinn, who became their singer. They called themselves The Cranberry Saw Us. By March 1990, Niall had decided to leave the band to focus on his other band the Hitchers and his parting was entirely amicable. He played a pivotal role in introducing Dolores to the band and arranged an audition, which took place in Xeric Studios, an old industrial space in the middle of Limerick. Noel, Mike and Fergal were present with some of their friends when Dolores arrived. She carried a Casio keyboard under her arm and in stark contrast to the prevailing goth look (Doc Martens, black clothes, wild hair) which predominated in the small room, she wore a shiny pink tracksuit and had wet-look cropped hair. Dolores recalled their first meeting: “I went upstairs and there were about fourteen adolescent boys in the room. The hormones were just rampant in there, the tension was deadly. I said: ‘Before anything happens can anyone who is not in the band please leave the room’.” Noel describes Dolores as “being as quiet as a mouse” that evening. Mike remembers: “She was introverted back then . . . but she still got up and had the guts to do it.” Everyone in the room was taken by her voice: “We were immediately blown away,” said Mike. “Her voice was something special.” Dolores recalls: “I really liked what I heard: I thought they were nice and tight. It was a lovely potential band but they needed a singer – and direction.” One of the instrumentals played by the Cranberry Saw Us that evening would soon become ‘Linger’, a relatively simple song that within two years would catapult the band to global stardom.

1991 was a crucial year for the Cranberries. On 18th April the band played a hometown gig as part of the University of Limerick’s Rag Week to 1,400 students – and 32 A&R men, most of who had flown in from London. In attendance was legendary record producer, the late Denny Cordell (1943-1995), who was then A&R for Island Records. Cordell didn’t offer the Cranberries the largest amount of money, but instead promised to look after the band and allow them the space to develop at their own pace. He clearly had a strong belief in their potential to succeed. Around this time the band shortened their name to the Cranberries.

In 1992 the Cranberries took on a new manager in the form of the iconic Geoff Travis of Rough Trade and began recording their debut album with producer Stephen Street. Street brought with him a vast production resume as both engineer and producer (the Smiths, Morrissey, Blur) as well as expertise as a songwriter having co-written Morrissey’s first solo album Viva Hate (1988). For the Cranberries to be working with the producer of ‘Strangeways Here We Come’ was a dream come true.

As the band’s wordsmith Dolores was the source of all of the band’s album titles. ‘Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?’ stemmed from her dogged determination to succeed. “Elvis wasn’t always Elvis,” she said. “He wasn’t born Elvis Presley, he was a person who was born in a random place, he didn’t particularly have a lot but he became Elvis. And Michael Jackson was born somewhere and he became Michael Jackson and so on and so forth. And I thought we were just born in a random place so why can’t we be that successful as well? And I believed we could but the majority of people were saying, ‘You’re absolutely nuts, you’re not going to make it, you can’t make any money out of it, you should do cover versions!’.” A simple but clever title, it answers its own question by implying why not? Why shouldn’t a band from a small city in the southwest of Ireland get signed, conquer the world and make a great record?

Indeed. By Christmas 1993, the band had toured extensively throughout Europe and the US and their return to Ireland was a triumphant affair. Their debut album had now clocked sales of over 800,000 copies in the United States and ‘Linger’ had reached number 8 in the Billboard Charts. It went on to achieve platinum sales status in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. It became a number one album in Ireland and the UK and peaked at eighteen in the US Billboard Charts.

The continued popularity of ‘Everybody Else…’ and its phenomenal success should not only be judged in terms of its total sales – 6 million copies worldwide, with 5 million sales in the US alone – but in terms of the quality of the repertoire. Although influenced by indie bands such as the Smiths, the Cure and New Order, the distinctive sound of the Cranberries first album is an example of how the best popular music often comes from cross-pollination and hybridization. Just as a young Johnny Marr was influenced by the music of Rory Gallagher and Thin Lizzy, the Cranberries were, in turn, influenced by the sound of the Smiths and made their own from what they heard.

The alchemy of Noel and Dolores as co-songwriters combined with Noel’s shimmering guitar playing, rock solid backing from Mike and Fergal and Stephen Street’s aptitude for space, all contributed to the album’s distinct sound. Dolores’ unique mix of Gaelic, Catholic and indie vocal influences combined with her ability to write lyrics perfectly capturing the frustrations of late adolescence gave these songs universal appeal. Twenty-five years since its release this carefully crafted debut has stood the test of time and can truly is one of the definitive indie albums of all time.

New Movement Calls on All Citizens to Preserve Culture and Democracy in Europe

EUROPE FOR CREATORS, a coalition of citizens, creatives and organisations fighting in favour of the Copyright Directive, today launches a broad reaching movement, calling on citizens and decision-makers to take part in the debate and ensure that their voices are heard.

This campaign seeks to correct misinformation by explaining the issues at stake and the importance of a vote in favour of the EU Copyright Directive on September 12.

Educating and Mobilising Supporters to Close the Value Gap

Against a backdrop of astroturfing and a massive lobbying campaign, extensive education on this issue is urgently needed. Article 13 of the Directive will require Internet platforms to negotiate fair license agreements with copyright holders. This is the true issue is that many tech giants like Google or Facebook want to hide.

“Digital economic powers continue to profit as working artists struggle to make ends meet. The balance between the revenues generated by Internet Platforms and the money they give to the creators who are responsible for their success, is entirely distorted,” said Véronique Desbrosses, general manager, European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers (GESAC).

What Are the Issues at Stake?

1.Creativity. While the current debate has focused on “memes” and “Gifs,” these formats of creative expression are already protected by existing legislation and will not be affected by the new Directive.

2. Transparency. The remuneration agreements that Internet platforms have reached with content creators are opaque. These platforms do not offer public figures about this aspect of their business and agreements reached with copyright holders are sealed by nondisclosure agreements. Transparency would become paramount under the Directive.

3. Parity. Free internet platforms have taken advantage of a lack of legislative consistency. Similar online services do not have the same obligations. What is clear however: free streaming platform pay their content creators 10 times less than their subscription-based counterparts.

“The creative and cultural industry in the European Union represents €536 billion per year, more than the combined revenue of the automotive and telecoms sectors, and is responsible for 12 million jobs. We have enriched the lives of Europeans, and now we are calling on Europe to act,” added Desbrosses.

Launch of EUROPE FOR CREATORS

Today is just the first step in a massive mobilisation around the Directive. In the coming weeks, this coalition will unit organisations and supporters as well as motivate citizens across Europe to engage MEPs in the fight for the rights of all creators. Initial actions will include:

• An open letter that will be sent to all Members of Parliament to activate them in this fight
• Debates that will be organised across Europe on September 5th by the authors’ society and others, to educate citizens, artists and creators. These discussions will coincide with the release of the new text of the Directive.
• Striking events that will take place in key European cities before the September 12th vote.

EUROPE FOR CREATORS has launched a dedicated Website and Twitter handle to share information about the Directive and encourages supporters to spread the word. To learn more about EUROPE FOR CREATORS visit www.europeforcreators.eu or follow the conversation on Twitter @EUForCreators with #EuropeForCreators.

About EUROPE FOR CREATORS
EUROPE FOR CREATORS gathers citizens, creatives and organisations committed to fight in favour of the Copyright Directive. Representing European creators and rights holders, including authors, composers, musicians, singers, painters, sculptors, directors, producers, journalists, writers, scientists and academics, responsible for the more than 12 million jobs associated with the Creative Industry.

Irish – Indian songstress Sarah Packiam began writing songs from the age of 13. Born to an Indian blues guitarist and Irish poetic mother, at 14 she signed her first record deal with EMI Ireland.

She’s shared the stage with artists such as Luis Fonsi supporting his mega hit ‘Despasito’ as well as Shakira at her latest album release party for ‘El Dorado’ singing back up and playing guitar.

Currently working on her 4th Album, her latest single ‘Mirror Mirror’ will be officially released on Sept 3rd. With thick syth pads and deep beats Packiam has been experimenting with new sounds on this album at Afonico Studios. ‘Mirror Mirror’ is an expression of the pressures we put on ourselves trying to obtain perfection. The perfect body, the perfect job, the perfect relationships …the list goes on and on until we’re fed up and it’s time to say “sorry”. Apologising to ourselves, realizing that imperfections are beautiful.

The single release party will be held at Faena on south beach Wednesday, Sept 5th where Sarah will perform the song live for the first time.

After the successful release of their last single ‘Fade Away’ in June RUN iN RED are very excited to announce they will be playing two special shows in Dublin and Derry for the release of their next single ‘A Song For You’ and second EP ‘Undercover, Overthrown.’

Kicking things off with a late show at The Workman’s Club, Dublin on Friday September 21st, the second show is taking place at Sandinos in Derry on Saturday September 29th. With two members from Derry, it will be a homecoming event and also the first show the band have played together outside of Dublin. Tickets are available now at runinred.eventbrite.com

‘A Song For You’ captures the last burst of summer, while still keeping an eye on the road ahead. The song will be available on all digital platforms, with physical copies available from Tower
Records and Golden Discs, and will be the 2nd single off the band’s new EP ‘Undercover, Overthrown’ which will be out from September 28th.

A 4-piece Transatlantic band based in Dublin, RUN iN RED are urgency transcribed into music. With members from the Dublin, New York and UK music scenes, in 2017 the band released their debut EP: ‘The Revelled Theory Mind.’ Its lead singles have drawn praise from JOE.ie, TogetherFM and were also play listed on Pandora Radio in the US.

Currently playing select shows in Dublin, the band released their last single ‘Fade Away’ in June and marked this with their debut headline show in The Sound House. ‘Fade Away’ has received airplay on FM104, 2FM, KCLRFM and NEARFM, and was selected as JOE.ie’s Song Of The Day on July 19th, right before the band played the Dublin Quays Festival with Pillow Queens on July 21st.

RUN iN RED will perform at The Workmans Club, Dublin on Friday the 21st of June, 2018 from 11.45pm, and Sandinos, Derry on Saturday September 29th from 8pm.
Tickets on sale at: runinred.eventbrite.com and at the door.

Following on from an exciting summer festival season, brothers Harry and Alfie Hudson-Taylor are getting ready for their busiest autumn so far, with the release of brand new music and an extensive touring schedule that will take in North America, Europe and Ireland.

The ‘Feel It Again’ EP, which was released in March, has enjoyed over ten million plays on streaming platforms, and gave Hudson Taylor another huge Irish radio-smash in the shape of ‘Run With Me’. The brothers have been touring up a storm on European festival circuit all summer, including Leeds / Reading (UK), Jelling (DK), Isle Of Wight (UK), Barn On The Farm (UK), Latitude (UK), TRNSMT (UK), Benicassim (Spain), Huntenpop (NL), A Summer’s Tale (D), Leefest (UK) and Standon Calling (UK). Not forgetting key UK high-profile supports with Bastille and George Ezra.

‘One In A Million’ and ‘You Don’t Wanna Know’ are the first tasters for Hudson Taylor’s new studio/live mini-album. Entitled ‘Bear Creek To Dame Street’, the collection brings together new songs recorded at Bear Creek studios in Seattle with producer Ryan Hadlock (Lumineers, Vance Joy) with a live quartet of Hudson Taylor classics, recorded in concert at their sold-out Olympia Theatre show on Dublin’s Dame Street earlier this year.

Harry and Alfie will play at the Electric Picnic on September 1st, before packing their bags again to head off on a huge US tour supporting Hozier (including four headline shows of their own). The North American trek will be quickly followed by a headline tour around Europe and the UK, before coming home for in December a five-night run-up to Christmas residency at Whelan’s in Dublin.

‘One In A Million’ and ‘You Don’t Wanna Know’ are released on Rubyworks on Friday 31st August.

Heralded Irish rock band Fangclub have released yet another incredible video, this time in the shape of ‘High’, taken from their highly personal new EP titled ‘True Love’.

The video was shot and produced by Irish director Nathan Barlow, in six hours!

The band’s 5 track EP, which was released earlier this summer to critical and fan acclaim, is a fiery collection of Fangclub’s unique brand of alternative rock.

Speaking honestly about the music and its lyrical content, Fangclub front man Steven King said this of ‘High’;

“I wrote ‘High’ while on tour with The Cribs. I think they influenced my writing on this from a visceral stand point. It’s a little more 70s in part; we tried to use old vintage amps, mics and pedals.

Alex Loring and Tom Andrews, who produced the ‘True Love’ EP, also sang with me on this track. We had vocals going through a rotary speaker which added an incredible and dreamlike theme to the song.”

King Adds; “‘High’, in parts, is about allowing yourself to be used and drained for the greater good.

It’s kind of a sarcastic take on ‘misery loves company’. We made it quite a pop song too. I don’t know why I seem to relish in that kind of hellish happy juxtaposition.”

2018 has been a busy one for Fangclub, having toured with The Cribs, and Milk Teeth and Nervus as well as rocking the UK with their first headline tour. 2017 was a hell of a year for the band too. Not only did they release their self-titled debut album (available now on Vertigo Records) to mass acclaim but they also toured the UK and Ireland with their own headline dates as well as playing shows with Biffy Clyro, Muse, Pixies, and SWMRS. Fangclub have gathered major attention from the press (Kerrang!, Rock Sound, Upset) and specialist DJ’s at BBC Radio 1 (Annie Mac, Huw Stephens, Daniel P.Carter, Phil Taggart), and Kerrang! Radio with their monstrous tracks, ‘Bullet Head’, ‘Loner’, ‘Dreamcatcher’ and ‘Bad Words.

Tupelo, released their critically acclaimed new album ‘The Heart’s Bloodline’ on the Crashed Records Label earlier this spring, to some wonderful comments both here at home and abroad. Indeed, ‘The Shriven Dust’ recently featured on the Canadian CBC network TV series, Hello Goodbye.

The most recent single ‘Joyous’, also received some splendid feedback both here in Ireland and BBC Radio in the UK. They are now pleased to share ‘Nursery Rhyme’, the new single. ‘Nursery Rhyme’ will go on release on Friday September 21st.

James & Kevin together with their band, are looking forward to headlining at The Grand Social, Liffey Street, Dublin on September 8th. This is the rescheduled show from March, when the widespread snow storms led to the postponement of the original date.

On September 8th Tupelo are chuffed to confirmThe Line Up Choir will guest with them, and Dublin based band The Finns will support. Some tickets priced from €12 are still available from tickets.ie

Earlier this spring The Line Up Choir joined Tupelo for two special live recordings of ‘The Shriven Dust’ and ‘Joyous’, also from the album. Recorded at the same venue. “It will be very special to collaborate once again with this fantastic choir. This time being extra special in many ways, as it’s at our live show.” said James

This summer the guys had a busy festival season which included dates in both the USA (Chicago) and Norway’s Tynesfest. Later this autumn the band head to Belgium for festival and headline shows.

**Tickets purchased for the original concert (at Tramline), which had to be postponed in March due to the snow storm, are valid for this new date at The Grand Social.

The winner of the nationwide IMRO’s Tune-Up Your Business Award has just been announced as Skinny Batch Deli located in Rush, Co. Dublin. Runners up in the competition are June Blake’s Garden, Blessington and Wicklow VTN.

The IMRO Tune-Up Your Business Award is designed to encourage Irish businesses to tap into the commercial benefits of providing music for their customers and employees. The overall prize is worth €4,000 for one business owner to spend exclusively on music/audio visual equipment for their premises plus invaluable advice on how to maximise the benefits of music in their business from music experts at the Listening Suite.

In today’s competitive marketplace more and more employers and business owners are making the decision to provide music for their customers and staff. Music is one of the most common tools used by businesses to create an inviting atmosphere. The Awards programme is open to those currently using music as well as businesses planning to introduce music into their premises in the near future.

The shortlist of finalists were visited by IMRO’s panel of judges, which includes figures from the music, publishing and broadcasting sectors. The judges were looking for untapped potential for music and premises owners with a desire to make music a key feature of their service offering for customers and staff.

“No matter what industry you´re in, everyone agrees that putting your customer at the heart of your business and providing good customer service is a top priority. Whether you operate a hotel, restaurant, bar, hairdressing salon or supermarket, part of this service is about providing customers with music to enhance their experience” – Victor Finn, Chief Executive, IMRO

As winners of the nationwide competition, Skinny Batch Deli will receive €4,000 worth of audio equipment. Sharyn Hayden of the company said, “Enjoying great music and delicious food are some of the great joys in life and at Skinny Batch, we love to combine the two every day! We are thrilled beyond words to receive this prize from IMRO which will go a long way towards helping us to develop a great music presence at our stores.”

As runners up in the competition June Blake’s Garden and Wicklow VTN will receive €500 worth of audio equipment each.

Almost 5 years ago, ‘The Acoustic Yard’ opened its doors to original songwriters in Matt Molloy’s Yard Bar, Westport. Artists like Kelley McRae, Kevin Doherty, Brian Casey, Kathleen Turner and many many more, brought a fresh sound to County Mayo which in turn helped to encourage local talent in creating new exciting music.

The Acoustic Yard Music Festival and The Acoustic Yard Radio Show on www.bluesandrootsradio.com followed, with acts all over the world now queuing up to play at one of their events.

‘The Acoustic Yard Sessions’ returns to Matt Molloy’s Yard Bar on Tuesday September 11th 2018 with Mayo-based band Vickers Vimy and Limerick’s Emma Langford. Two great original artists whose recent albums, respectively, ‘Atlas of Hearts’ and ‘Gentle Giant’ have taken national radio by storm.

Hailing from Mayo, on the wild Atlantic coast of Ireland, Vickers Vimy craft songs that dwell on the borders of folk and Americana. Rich eclectic sounds anchor lyrical themes of scratched vinyl nights and hazy Sunday mornings. Their second album ‘Atlas of Hearts’ was released on 31st March 2018.

Emma Langford, a folk guitarist and singer-songwriter from Limerick in the West of Ireland, is imbued with the soul and style of Joni Mitchell, Eva Cassidy, and Joan Baez; her distinctive vocal style demonstrates a blend of Irish lilt with folk and jazz. Her debut album ‘Quiet Giant’ described by Today FM’s Ed Smith as “absolutely stunning” was released in October 2017. Emma was voted “Best Solo Female Artist” by Pure M Magazine in 2017 and was listed as a Hot Press Magazine one-to-watch in the summer of 2016.

Come and enjoy these two fabulous original artists for a night of great music.